A Step In Every City
by Coilerfan35
Summary: A companion fic with divine529. Booth and Brennan's days take them to some of the most beautiful and exotic lands known to man, but will the breathtaking sights be able to alter the partner's perspectives and shove them closer together? Possible M rating
1. Machu Picchu, Peru

**An: Hey guys, welcome to the new story! This is going to be a companion piece with a friend of mine; divine529. We decided we wanted to write a story together and she came up with the idea of having Booth and Brennan go to all these different sites around the world. We're using a site of the top 100 most beautiful places to go in the world, and the first one was the city of Machu Picchu, in Peru.**

**So enjoy this, and tell me what you think. ;)**

* * *

"Booth, you really don't have to come with me."

"Just like in China last year Bones, you're using federal material, and I have to be there to supervise. Make sure our country's equipment isn't harmed," Booth rolled out, glancing around her office before he added "And to make sure you aren't harmed."

"Booth I can take care of myself," she immediately shot back, and Booth groaned, mentally slapping himself for uttering those words.

"Yes I know Bones, you're a very capable woman, you have three doctorates and you're a black belt in three different martial arts blah blah I know, but I'm a trained sniper and even I get hurt. Everyone gets hurt, and everyone needs someone to look out for them. You have me, and even though you don't like it, you have to get used to it because I'm not going anywhere baby," he offered, his hands outstretched towards her with a large smile on his face, his shoulders falling at the disdainful look in her eyes. "Way to look happy Bones."

"Well Booth, I'm just worried for your sake."

"What do you have to worry about?"

"Most of my time will be spent at the grave site, and you'll become easily bored. I know you Booth, and I doubt there will be anything there to entertain you," she explained, gathering up multiple files and placing them in her laptop case. "Unless you bring some sort of ball to play with."

"I'm not a dog," Booth stated, grabbing his coat from her couch and following after her as she walked from her office.

"Well obviously Booth, you show absolutely no resemblance to a canine."

"Ah! Bones!" he groaned, throwing his head back before running to catch up to her. "I'll be fine. I'm a grown man; I know how to remain professional on the job."

"I thought we established professionalism isn't the problem, it's keeping you entertained," Brennan stated, turning and walking backwards for a moment before turning again and moving towards his SUV.

"Oh my god, okay, I'm going to be fine. We're going Peru, you're going to look at a skeleton, I'm going to stand there and watch you look at a skeleton, and then we're going to have all sorts of fun and I'm going to drag you everywhere, okay? It's going to be a perfect vacation," he teased, opening the door for her, and smiling despite her evil glare.

"It isn't a vacation Booth. A vacation by definition is a relaxing time away from work. I'm going to Cuzco to work, so therefore it's just a place to travel, not a vacation."

Booth closed the door once she got in, and sat back in his seat once he got in the car, shaking his head, and squeezing the steering wheel before bringing his fingers to his temples and pressing on the pressure points. He sighed and looked at Brennan, shaking his head as her eyes widened. "What?" she asked quietly.

"Bones, you really need to learn how to just live it up, and remember that you're going to an exotic and beautiful land. Even though you're going there to work, you're still going there, and you're going to have some time to visit the sites."

"Booth I don't 'live it up'," she stated.

"No shit."

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing Bones," he said, smiling over at her, before falling back against his seat and running his fingers over his temple again. "Just…nothing."

"Yes!" Booth said happily, pumping his hand into the air and rocking back in his seat. "First class this time!"

"Booth, calm down," Brennan said, reaching over and resting her hand on his thigh. "Don't make a big scene you've just been relocated in the plane."

"Oh no, this is not a relocation, this is an upgrade. I'm so glad I don't have to sit back there in Gitmo again, it was rough on the back."

"Well actually Booth, Gitmo has been closed down, and like I said, you're on a plane, not in a jail in Cuba," she explained, tilting her hand over in her explanation, and tilting her head at the look Booth gave her.

Booth sighed and sat back, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. "Bones, I'm not being literal."

"Oh, yes, I find you're hardly ever literal, so…I'll start adjusting my behavior accordingly," she muttered, removing her hand from his leg to bring it back to support her book.

"Bones, what's been going on? You've been overly literal lately, and you aren't usually like that with me anymore," He asked, reaching over and poking her shoulder gently.

"I've been fine Booth. I'm sorry if I seem that way," she whispered, looking at him, and tilting her head gently at the deep observant look in his eyes. "I'm fine, I promise."

"You know you can always talk to me if you need too," he returned, finding the space between them shrinking as they moved closer to keep their conversation between themselves. "You know you can always trust me right?"

"Of course Booth," Brennan muttered, nodding her head and finding her eyes falling from his eyes to his lips, before quickly shooting back up again. "I know that."

'_Please sit back and fasten your seat belts, we are about to fly' _the captain said over the intercoms, and they reluctantly had to sit back in their seats, and bring the belts at their waists to clip in front of their stomachs.

His breathing became slightly labored, and Brennan looked at him with alarm. "Booth, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah Bones, I'm fine. It's just…bad memories."

"You're scared of flying?"

"No I'm just scared of taking off," he admitted, looking over at her before turning his attention to the front of the plane.

"Why are you scared?"

"Because when I was in the Snipers, I was on a plane and we were about to take off, but we got about a thousand feet in the air, and there was a bomb in the engine. It went off and the plane almost went down, but it wasn't strong enough to kill us all, so we were able to gracefully crash the plane into the desert. No one got hurt but, it was still scary," Booth explained, his chest moving quickly against his dress shirt.

She reached over and rested her hand over his, interlacing their fingers and bringing their hands into her lap, her other hand coming to clasp over his knuckles. "You're going to be fine Booth," she assured, her thumb brushing against the back of his hand. "I promise."

He looked at her, and her tender eyes brought his shoulders to slump, and his breathing slowed as he finally relaxed. He felt the plane shake as the engine was started up, but he kept his eyes on hers and didn't feel a single ounce of fear weigh down his heart. The surrounding scenery disappeared behind them closely, and soon they were leveled out, the only thing they could see being passing clouds.

She released his hand and smiled, patting his knee before crossing her legs and bringing her book back into her lap. "See Booth, I told you were going to be okay."

"Thanks Bones," he whispered, poking her shoulder again, and sharing a gentle smile and laugh that only they understood.

"Bones I'm bored," Booth grumbled; sitting back in the fold out chair he was given.

"See, I told you you were going to be bored," Brennan said, looking up at him disapprovingly, before turning on the balls of her feet, directing herself back towards the body. "Make sure to check surrounding areas for any sort of relics," she told an assistant "Arrow heads, preserved feathers, beads, clay, anything."

"Yes Dr. Brennan," the assistant said, ducking her head before moving to another dig site only feet away to help move away small layers of top soil.

"Bones, can we go somewhere tonight when you're done with your skeleton?"

"If I say yes will you be able to quietly entertain yourself for one more hour?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, we can go somewhere."

"Okay, cool. But where are we going to go?"

"You can choose Booth," she brushed off, taking a brush from beside her and brushing dirt out of the cavities of the skull. She lifted the skull from the dirt, and used her gloved fingers to brush away excess dirt, her fingers running over the healed cut marks on the maxilla. "It looks like this person had his cheek gashed open, and the cuts on the vertebrae suggest beheaded."

"Human sacrifice!" Booth yelled out, shrugging his shoulders and holding his hands out at her slightly surprised look. "What? I know stuff."

"Usually not things that have to deal with history of other cultures," she returned, setting the vertebrae back down in the dirt before she stood up and leaned back to crack her stiffened back. "Can I have a body bag over here?"

"Bones, you're the head of this investigation, why do you need to ask for a body bag?"

She looked over her shoulder and shook her head "Booth, pick grass or something please," she stated, taking the body bag and settling it out beside the rectangle cut into the ground.

Booth sighed and sat back, crossing his arms and bringing them to rest over his eyes. He groaned and eventually fell asleep, snoring softly.

Brennan smiled as she looked back at him, and she quickly arranged all of the bones on the body bag, and nodded for the interns to take the body away. "Place this in the morgue. I'll start my examination tomorrow."

"Yes Dr. Brennan," the others said, moving the gurney away carefully as to not jostle the bones.

Brennan smiled and stripped her gloves off, shoving them in her pocket before she walked over to Booth and rested her hands on the back of the seat. "Hey BOOTH!" she screamed, smiling and holding the seat as he jumped up and almost fell completely out of the seat.

"Bones, why can't you nicely wake me up?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and standing up, stretching his arms over his head and yawning, before his body slumped where he stood and he looked intently at her.

"What do you want me to kiss you awake?" she joked, laughing and shaking her head as she moved down the large hill they were on.

"Wouldn't be a bad thing," he muttered quietly once she was out of ear shot, scratching his cheek before he jogged down the hill after her.

"Booth, where are we going?"

"Machu Picchu!" Booth said excitedly in an odd voice Brennan couldn't explain. She looked at him interested and shook her head. "What?"

"I'm surprised you would choose to go to such a historic site. I would have thought you would have dragged me to some sort of bar where the bottles of tequila have worms in the bottom," Brennan explained, sitting back and rubbing her tired eyes.

"Ew," he said, his face contorting in disgust. "That's just sick. I would not put you or myself through having to take the last shot with those dead worms."

"Well, it's not that bad, and they don't hurt you, but the thought of what you're drinking doesn't really make it any easier."

"What, you've eaten them before?"

"Had too. You have to eat the worms if you have the last shot," Brennan explained, shaking her head and running her fingers through her hair. "It's like eating escargot, it's good, but the thought that you're eating snails makes it too hard to eat."

"Ugh," Booth said, shivering and shaking his head. "That's sick."

"Caviar isn't that bad either."

"Alright, enough with the disgusting food, let's just focus on this," he said, smiling as the ancient brick city made its appearance over the side of the cliff.

"Wow this is so cool," he expressed, parking in the parking lot and going around the information building, walking with Brennan onto the large expanse of grass. "Come on Bones, let's race!"

"Race, race where?" she asked, smiling as the beautiful sight of the city took her breath away.

"Up there," Booth said, pointing to an elevated part of the city that looked over the large cliff it was settled on. "On three. One, two, three go!"

He shot off and Brennan groaned, running after him and taking the steps quickly two at a time, stretching in front of him if only for a second before he caught up and quickly jumped onto the elevated levels, smiling and panting as he reached the top platform and threw his hands into the air. "Success," he teased.

Brennan smiled and walked after him, brushing the sweat from her brow. "Wow," she breathed out, walking closer to the edge and looking down at the large drop off from the platformed land to the bottom of the cliff.

She swayed gently and Booth moved quickly behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her back from the edge. "Jeez Bones, I know you're awesome but you aren't going to survive a fall like that."

Her breathing hitched and she moved her hands from his arms, stepping from his grasp and clearing her throat. "Y-yeah…thanks," she whispered, nodding towards the cliffs edge. "For that."

"No problem," Booth said, chewing on his lip before he cleared his throat and nodded to the rest of the giant city. "Should we…?" he asked, pointing around, and she quickly nodded her head.

"Yeah, let's go."


	2. Iguazu Falls, Argentina:Brazil

**A Step in Every City**

**AN: Hey Guys its divine529 the other author of this awesome story! I know that some of you had a problem with the last chapter because the time it took them to get to the top of Machu Picchu was unrealistic but we felt that if we wrote the entire amount of time it took you would be bored so we condensed it. Anyway it's my turn so I hope you enjoy it :D**

They had spent the next few days in Peru, exploring all the other famous sites. Despite climbing to the top of Machu Picchu their time there was pretty uneventful. Booth was constantly bored while Brennan continued to identify the ancient body that was found there. Each night after her long day, and Booth being bored, they would go to the local restaurant and dine. Brennan would translate the items on the menu for Booth but he would normally get what she was getting. Normally they would get the same thing but tonight they decided to get Escabeche de Pescado or a traditional fish dish. When their food arrived they both dug in and Booth exclaimed "This is delicious!"

Brennan chuckled and replied "I'm glad Booth," then she added "I'm really glad you came with me and I hope you're enjoying yourself." She smiled and quickly returned to her food, not wanting to look into his eyes since lately she had been having strange feelings about him and didn't know what to do about them.

"Of course I'm enjoying myself Bones! How could I not especially when I'm with you" he instantly regretted what he said and looked down at his plate. The tension in the air in that moment was so thick that neither one spoke until the waiter came back to ask them what they wanted for desert, which both declined that night. They were both straying into dangerous territory and needed to take a breath and step back before anything got too serious. Brennan paid the bill and thanked the waiter and chef for the lovely meal, wishing them a good night before they left.

When they got outside into the warm Peruvian air, Booth spoke "Bones, do you want to go for a walk?"

"Booth it's getting late, shouldn't we go back?"

Booth looked at her and could see that she was tired and reluctantly said "Yeah I guess you're right. We can go tomorrow."

Her smile was tired, but bright, and he felt that familiar thumping in his chest as her mouth opened to speak. "Yes I promise that we can go tomorrow, it's just I need to head back to the site tonight to finish up some work..."

"Bones…" Booth cut her off, "You are not going back to that site tonight, you need to sleep, and you can go back tomorrow and finish up then."

She sighed exasperatedly and replied "But Booth, I am almost done and…"

"Bones, no"

"Fine, let's just go back to the hotel."

Grateful that he had won, he followed a stubborn Brennan up the road and put his hand in its normal spot on her lower back.

They arrived back at the hotel and went into their room. Brennan was still packed since she didn't think she would need to stay that long; her guesswork turning out to be fact, as they were leaving tomorrow, but unknown to her: not back to D.C.

Booth was going to take her to all the most beautiful sites in the world and their next stop was The Iguazu waterfalls which were on the boarders of Brazil and Argentina. She needed to get away from work and that was only going to happen if Booth kidnapped her, but he needed some help…when Brennan was asleep, he snuck from the room and went down to the lobby, quickly dialing Angela's number.

"Hello" a groggy voice answered.

"Hey Ange, it's Booth, sorry I woke you."

"I know you wouldn't call this late unless it was important, so I'll let it slide this time. How's Peru?"

"Peru's great, thanks for asking. Bones is almost done with the ancient stone man."

"Great, so you're coming home soon?"

"Not exactly…that's why I called, I need your help."

"With what? What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"Well I am sort of kidnapping Bones, to get her away from work"

Angela smiled at this and replied "CUTE! Where are you taking her?"

"Well we're starting at the Iguazu Waterfalls but I think a nice trip around the world should be in store," he explained, smiling at the fantasy of him and Brennan running around the world together.

"Good job Booth! And she doesn't know yet…? You know she's going to be pissed when she finds out right?"

"Yeah I know and I was hoping that maybe you could help me in that area…"

"Yeah keep it a secret from her as long as possible…I'd tell her when you are on the plane, but she might figure it out before then…don't let her run from you."

"I won't, I promise Ange and thanks."

"Sure big guy, but I should probably get going; I need to catch a couple more hours of sleep before work."

"Ok Ange, go back to bed, I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye."

After he hung up he went back up to their room and crashed on the couch from exhaustion. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and he had a dreamless, undisturbed sleep.

The next morning Booth woke up to a lovely smell in the kitchen. He laid there for a few minutes before he slowly got up and walked dazedly into the kitchen, smiling when he saw Brennan standing by the oven waiting for some wonderful cinnamon bread called 'Monkey Bread' to be finished. He carefully walked into the kitchen so not to scare her, and to store this memory of her into his Bones files. His hand rose, and he knocked on the side of the wooden panel, matching the smile on her face when she turned and looked at him. "Good morning Booth, don't worry breakfast is almost ready"

"Good morning Bones, did you sleep well? Oh and that smells great!"

"I slept very well thank you."

When the oven beeped signaling that the delicious cinnamon bread was ready, she put on the light blue oven mitts and reached up and opened the top oven in order to lift out the cake and place it on the rack to cool. "Today I have to go finish my work with the remains and then I should be back by around 2. Then we can pack up a bit before we head to the airport."

"Sounds good Bones," he murmured, wandering over to where the cake was sitting, eyeing it longingly.

"Booth you don't want that yet, first it needs the icing and second it's still too hot to eat," she explained, smiling and chuckling at the predatorily look in his eyes.

Booth pouted slightly and asked the obvious question "How long before it's ready?"

"It'll be a little while so how about you go shower and then you can come and eat?"

"Alright," he growled, sadly turning away from the delicious scent of the bread, and making his way into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and got in, letting the water consume his body. It felt like he was in the shower for only minutes, but it ended up being close to a half an hour.

When he had finished showering he got out and got a new pair of clothes. He slipped his pants on over his hips and put on his belt buckle before pulling his t-shirt over his head.

He walked back into the kitchen and saw a nice plate with the gooey cinnamon cake calling to him. He smiled at Brennan and she sat down next to him waiting for him to taste her creation. When he took a bite he showed no expression, or at least Brennan couldn't tell what it was "Booth do you like it?"

He looked at her disbelievingly and replied "Like it? I absolutely adore this!"

Brennan beamed at hearing this and finished eating her piece.

After breakfast Booth said: "Bones that was one of the best breakfast's I've had in a long time…let me clean up and you can head over to finish up with Stone Man before we leave."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go!" he smiled and she reluctantly went but went nonetheless.

Booth finished cleaning up breakfast and then started packing up his things for the trip to come. He smiled to himself, thinking both of the surprise he was going to elicit in her, before the pure anger that would be coming his way.

He finished packing his stuff and then decided to sit down and watch some TV before Brennan got back. He turned it on and despite the bad reception he found something to watch: soccer. It was the World Cup so of course he was going to watch it. The teams playing were England and Germany, currently the score was 2-1, Germany in the lead.

About an hour later Brennan came back from the dig site and before she opened the door she knew Booth was engaged in some sort of sports program, his angry cries echoing in the hallway.

She opened the door and walked in and when she made her way into the sitting area, she saw Booth sitting intently in front of the TV screen. She walked over to him and stood next to him and when she saw what he was watching and who was playing she sat down next to him. He looked over and saw Brennan next to him and smiled but continued watching the game: Germany won. Then Booth turned to Brennan and said "Since when do you like sports?"

"I've always loved soccer since it was one of the only sports to watch when I went on my digs and I watch it occasionally because of all the memories I've had."

"I'm glad you enjoy it Bones."

Her smile was one of appreciation, before she looked at him and asked "Are you ready to head out?"

"Yeah but first tell me how was your time at the dig this morning?"

"It was great as usual, but I am really going to miss this place, even if we've only been here for a short time, I really enjoyed having you here with me."

"Aw, thanks Bones. Good to know I'm missed sometimes," with a twinkle in his eyes he chuckled and Brennan laughed a little bit.

"Yes, I do miss you Booth, when you are gone. Now can we go?" she didn't know why she was in such a rush but she wanted to get out of there quickly.

Booth was surprised at her readiness to leave but obliged and helped her get her stuff together. About an hour and a half later they were loaded up in the bus that was going to take them to the airport and buckled into their seats. They arrived at the airport and checked in, and Brennan gave Booth a surprise by upgrading him to first class. Booth however rechecked them in and erased their flight and then they quickly got through security despite the fact that Brennan was bringing back some artifacts that needed to get to the Jeffersonian and the guards had to stop her for security reasons then they approached their gate B2 and waited for their plane to arrive.

Finally they boarded the plane, they were the first and then they took their seats. Brennan usually being perceptive failed to notice the large sign saying NOW BOARDING FLIGHT #708 TO MISIONES, ARGENTINA.

They sat down and got comfortable while the other passengers boarded and then the pilot came on the speaker and said "Welcome and thank you for flying with us today. Today we will be flying to Misiones in the beautiful country of Argentina. So sit back and enjoy the flight."

Upon hearing the destination Brennan jumped up and looked Booth's way and said "Booth why are we going to Argentina? That is nowhere near Washington D.C.!"

Booth swallowed and took a deep breath and said "Bones we are going to Misiones because I booked the tickets for there."

Brennan was outraged now but she did it in her normal calm way and said "Why on Earth would you do that?"

Booth was prepared for the fight from Brennan and made his argument clear "Well I thought you needed to get away from the lab so I decided that we are going to take a little trip."

"This is outrageous, I do not need to get away from work and besides Cam doesn't even know," she thought she had him but when she heard that Booth told Angela that made her even angrier, "Booth, I hate you and I can't believe you did this to me."

"Fine be mad at me but you will thank me once you see the beautiful sites."

"I highly doubt that, but just so you know I will not be talking to you for the entire plane ride so do something productive like book us tickets to go back home!"

"Not going to happen Bones but don't worry I will take care of keeping myself occupied"

Brennan turned away from him and directed her attention out the window, while Booth sat there thinking about all the fun they were going to have on their epic trip around the world.

About 3 ½ hours later they landed in the airport and then went to pick up their luggage and finally got on the bus that would take them to their hotel. When they arrived they got their room and when they opened the door, it was nothing like Brennan expected; Booth of course expecting everything.

It was like a mini house, with beautiful native furniture and fountains that brought the palpable calmness of rushing water to pulse through the room. They had a beautiful view out into the jungles of Argentina, and exotic birds of multiple colors perched on the desk, crying out before throwing themselves into the air.

Brennan's jaw dropped and then she turned to Booth with so much emotion in her eyes and said "Booth, this is gorgeous! But I have to ask how did you pay for all of this?"

Booth cleared his throat and said "Umm…with a credit card Bones."

She gave him a mock glare and said: "No Booth I'm serious, this is very expensive I can tell, you don't have a very large paycheck…"

"It's ok Bones, I wanted to do this for you, don't worry about the money."

She could see the pleading in his eyes and even though she wanted to continue this, she dropped it, and went to put her luggage in her room while Booth did the same thing with his.

The reconvened in the foyer and Brennan asked Booth what he wanted to do but he had already made plans to go to see the waterfall, but kept the information to himself, only revealing some to her through his words: "Bones go grab your swimsuit and a towel and we'll go."

She wanted to ask him what he had planned but decided not to and went to change. About ten minutes later she came back ready to go and then they left to go to the waterfall.

"Booth, can I ask where we are going?"

"Nope" he smiled and she replied "Booth you captured me and brought me here, I think I at least deserve to know where we're going don't you?"

"Normally I would agree but this time I want to surprise you so just bear with me ok?"

She sighed and agreed reluctantly. The rest of the ride there was relatively quick and when they arrived, they exited the car and Booth led her up a path traced in a large hill (it took longer to climb than it looked) eventually arriving at the top of a beautiful site: the top of the Iguazu Falls.

Brennan was so surprised and shocked and she had the largest smile on her face; that was enough for Booth, but what made it even more special was when Brennan turned and gave him a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. "Oh my God Booth, this is absolutely amazing, thank you so much for bringing me here!"

Booth still recovering from the feeling of her lips on his skin replied "It was my pleasure Bones" and then asked "do you want to go for a swim?"

"That would be great, since we just climbed up that cliff and because of the high temperatures and the humidity it would only be logical if we were to go for a swim."

They descended the cliff and reached the place where they were allowed to swim in and as Brennan took off her shirt and shorts, Booth couldn't help but stare. "Booth why are you staring at me?"

"I'm not staring," he grumbled, quickly averting his eyes and bringing his own shirt over his head; a cocky smile gracing his features as he caught the eyes of his anthropologist locked dead on him. "Bones now you're the one who's staring."

"No I'm not," she argued, turning away as embarrassment colored her cheeks."Come on Booth let's jump in!"

"Bones let's be careful you never know what's going…" before he could finish his sentence he felt himself being pushed into the water and Brennan jumping in after him. He thrashed under the water, but smiled at the feel of the warm current and they both swam around before popping up and taking in a deep breath.

Brennan was laughing so hard that Booth had to laugh along with her despite the fact that he did not enjoy being pushed off of the cliff. When they both stopped laughing they realized how close together each of them were to the other and how much clothing was lacking, their only solution being to swim in awkward silence. Finally after playing for a while Booth noticed that Brennan was starting to shiver and asked "Bones are you cold?"

"No I'm fine," she argued, and Booth recognized that as her sign to leave her alone. But he could only let her have the upper hand for so long, and after a while he said "Alright, it's time to head in. You're obviously freezing."

She didn't say anything in return, her eyes just simply met and held his, and he practically saw the gears grinding behind her eyes. "Are you sure you're ready to head back to the hotel? We've had a long day but you seem to be quite adept at requiring spare energy when needed."

"I'm fine Bones," he laughed, shaking his head and moving to the shore, jumping to the grass and pulling her out with him. "We can go home, take a nice hot shower, and then fine something to eat. Does that sound okay?"

"It sounds delightful," she agreed, smiling at him and allowing him to wrap her towel around her shoulders, holding her to his side as he led her to the car for a night of relaxation.


	3. Taj Mahal, India

**An: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this, but I finally got my butt in gear and wrote this up...yay for installments!**

* * *

For Booth, the plane ride took forever, and he found his head starting to hurt from boredom and lack of sleep. He didn't look forward to landing in Delhi, and then having to drive three hours to Agra, but he did look forward to the cultural experience he was offering to Brennan once again.

The thought of her spurred him to look in her direction, and he smiled as he took in her sleeping face. He felt a small flutter in his chest, and against his conscious will, he reached up and brushed away and piece of hair that had fallen across her face.

She murmured something in her sleep, and she shifted under his fingers, furrowing her brow unconsciously, before she relaxed and sighed contently; curling closer to herself and pulling the blanket tighter over her shoulder.

He smiled and looked down to the copy of her book he always took when he traveled, reading through the words he had read time and time before. Every time he had to travel, and had nothing to do, he always read her books, smiling to himself as he quoted each line in his head perfectly.

He looked out the window and watched as the large, white wing of the plane cut through the black velvet of night, before sighing and closing her book. He hid it in his carry on, and reclined back his seat; closing his eyes and bringing his hands behind his head. He didn't feel that he needed to be covered, but he looked over at Brennan one more time; smiling an almost sad smile before he was able to drift off into sleep.

* * *

"Booth, I can drive," Brennan offered, sitting back in the seat and looking over at him. He had bags under his eyes, and he was slumped tiredly, but somehow kept his usual focus.

"You don't know where you're going Bones," he simply explained, running his hand over his face while speeding down an almost clear high way.

"You don't either," she argued, directing her hand towards the GPS system sitting above the radio. "Which is exactly why you rented a car with a GPS system installed in it."

"Yes, Bones, but I would like to bear the surprise of where we are going, and I can only do that if I'm driving the car," he explained, leaning forward against the steering wheel to stretch his back.

"Is your back bothering you? If so, you should let me drive."

"Bones, no matter how much I like you, you don't get to drive. I'm just a little stiff is all okay? I need to stand up, run around a little," Booth explained, looking over at her for a second.

"You never let me drive..."

"No I don't, because I know for sure that I can focus on the road as we are arguing, but you're another story."

"Booth, I'm a genius with three doctorates. I am capable of speaking heatedly with someone why driving a car. It isn't that difficult."

"You know what, you just brush up on your Hindi, so one of us will know what people are saying around here," Booth ordered, veering off the topic completely.

"Booth, people in India can speak English...many of them can at least. It's becoming an international language. Many different countries speak English along with their native tongue," Brennan explained, her voice disdainful, but at the same time, playful.

"Wonderful," he muttered, sliding on his sun glasses before glancing over at her, then returning his eyes to the road. "But I would prefer if you brush up anyway, so you can warn me if someone is calling me an idiot."

"Why would anyone call you an idiot?" Brennan asked. "Many Indian cultures shape their people into very peaceful beings. Also, I should probably warn you that you might have to go vegetarian for our time here. Many cultures worship the cow as a mothering essence, so they don't eat meat."

He took a deep breath and looked over at her, sighing before shrugging in a faux painful gesture. "This one time," he said, holding his finger in the air. "I'll do it for you."

"I appreciate that."

* * *

"I'm just warning you, they messed up my reservation, and there is only one bed in the room."

"Couldn't they fix it?" Brennan asked, not at all concerned as she walked down the large, magnificent halls of an equally large and magnificent hotel.

"No they were completely booked, but the manager said he would tell me if another room opened up, and we get free dinner for today and tomorrow at the restaurant on the top floor for the trouble," Booth explained, sliding the card into the lock on the door, and pushing it open for her.

"Well, for such a small problem, they did console you heavily," Brennan said, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide as she looked around the authentic Indian style suite. "This is beautiful."

Elephants and peacocks decorated the architecture, while multiple shades of blue, green, red, yellow and gold painted the room. The large bed near the door leading to the balcony was hand carved mahogany, with light golden curtains hanging from the canopy.

They deposited their bags against the wall, and Brennan walked over to the balcony doors, grasping the heavy golden curtains and pulling them aside with an audible gasp.

Before her, the Taj Mahal stretched perfectly before them, centered within the window and beautifully illuminated not only from the sun, but also from the light that reflected off the river between them.

Tears came to her eyes, and she instantly turned to face Booth, walking to him and wrapping her around him in a tender hug. "Thank you, so much."

He smiled as he moved his hands to her back, and he tilted his head so that his nose was buried deep in her auburn hair. "I know how much you loved being here in grad school, and I could tell you really wanted to go back."

"How could you tell something like that?" she asked softly, a shiver coursing down his spine as he felt her lips move dangerously close to his neck.

"You were reading your old journals from your cultural anthropology dissertation one day, and you seemed a little out it, so I snuck a peek at them before we left for a crime scene," he explained, smiling his charm smile when she pulled back to give him a disapproving glare.

She strung out the silence purposely, but eventually broke into a smile and quietly asked a single question that warmed his heart, and tightened his chest. "Poking and prodding...?"

* * *

"My god it's hot," Booth groaned, pulling his light, white t-shirt away from his neck and wiping a hand across his brow.

"I told you not to wear jeans," Brennan stated, motioning to the jean shorts that showed over her mile long ivory legs.

He shook his head and drank from the dripping water bottle in his hand, trying to quell the heat inside of him more so than the heat against his skin. Between her tight, maroon tank top that highlighted the lines of her cleavage and waist, and the short shorts she had on, Booth was positive he was screwed.

He ignored her quip and switched the bottle to his other hand; passing his cooled fingers across the back of his neck, before he moved closer to her and led her to the steps that led up to the doors of the Taj Mahal.

They stepped through the doors of the palace and gasped as the beauty stretched high above them. The walls were inscribed with beautiful floral designs, and Booth had to tug at Brennan's arm to get her to move, stepping to the desk set up near the front to pay for one of the tours.

They slipped their shoes off, and followed through the halls with a large group of other people; listening to the time line provided to them of the Taj Mahal, and the religious importance's that the tour guide brought to life with a passion he had never heard before. They listened to the stories of each religion, and became entranced by the sheer beauty the whole building held inside and out.

They walked into the temples and Brennan gasped audibly, grabbing Booth's hand instinctually. Even though it was dark, and it was hard to see, the beautiful statues that lined the walls sparked the anthropologist inside her, and she felt her breath slip away.

He looked her over, and smiled at how intrigued she looked, tightening his hold on her hand, and leading her around the edge so she could look head on at the statues that multiple people where bowed before.

"This is so beautiful," she whispered, standing as close to him as she could. "This is the most phenomenal thing I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Thank you, so much."

"I actually have one more thing I want you to see," he returned, his lips moving close to her ear. "I'm pretty sure you'll categorize it as a life changing experience."

* * *

"Booth, where are we going?" Brennan asked, her hand sweating in his own, and sticking their skin together.

"You'll see," he promised, continuing to pull her along until he reached a small ranch, and held open the door for a group of young, dark skinned women; who smiled flirtatiously at Booth before speaking to each other quickly in Hindi.

Brennan narrowed her eyes, and stormed into the ranch, pulling Booth's hand and tearing him into the air conditioned sanctuary, and away from the chattering girls.

Once the feelings of uneasiness settled, Brennan sighed at the cool air that brushed against her skin; the bench on the other side of the room a welcome resting point for her tiring legs.

Resting her head in her hands, she jumped when she felt something cold being pressed against the side of her face. She looked up and smiled as Booth took the freezing, dripping water bottle from her ear, and settled it in her hands.

"He'll be here in a second," he whispered, sitting down beside her and reaching over to rub her shoulder blades. "Not used to the intense heat are you?"

"No," she answered, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand, her eyes trained towards him, and closing for periods of time when he rubbed a particularly pleasuring spot on her back. "I used to be able to go on digs in this area for hours and not get the least bit tired, but now I find I'm quite exhausted already."

He smiled at her and stood up for a second, walking around the counter to pull out a bottle of ibuprofen settled on the shelves. She looked at him with concern, but he held his hand up to calm her racing mind. "The guy who owns this business is a good friend of Jared's. I arranged for him to keep a few things for us, since he didn't want me to pay," he explained, moving to her side again and placing the pill bottle in her hand. "I remember when I was fighting in Serbia, being exposed to all of the light and heat gave me killer headaches."

She smiled weakly at him, and impulsively leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She seemed unfazed, while his eyes remained wide, and he nervously cleared his throat.

"Thank you," was all she offered, swallowing down a few of the pills before running a hand through her hair, and quickly pulling it into a bun to cool the back of her neck. She handed the bottle back to him, and when he moved behind the counter again, he straightened with a bottle of sun screen.

"You're just hell bent on taking care of me aren't you," she asked, taking the bottle from him gratefully.

"Yes, I am," he stated proudly, sitting next to her again and reaching out to touch her shoulder. Her smile was small; siren-like; and he found himself drowning in her graying eyes. "You're skin is getting really hot. If we were outside any longer you would have started to fry."

She leaned a fraction closer to him unconsciously, but they both backed away from each other when a dark skinned man, with colorful clothing and a wide smile stepped through the door.

"Am I interrupting something?" the man teased, laughing and walking over to Booth to shake his hand. "You must be Jared's brother, I can see the likeness. I'm Hameed Baboor."

"It's nice to finally meet you Hameed. My brother has told me some very colorful stories about the adventures he had with you," Booth said, standing to shake his hand, and smirking as the small, scraggly man has to tilt his head up to meet his eyes.

"Oh has he?" Hameed asked; laughing and shaking his head; the wispy strands of gray hair curving and curling against the current of the air conditioner. "Well when I met Jared the Navy had screwed him bad. He was too uptight, and needed some fun. So we raised hell, and he was promoted for a job well done on his next mission."

Booth chuckled and shook his head, opening his hand towards Brennan, and resting his palm against her lower back when she stood from the bench, and moved to his side. "This is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"It's nice to meet you," she said, smiling and marveling at the contrast of her pale white skin to his dark olive skin.

"Jared told me about you, and you're tag team murder solving gig. Amazing if you ask me, and I have to say, I love your books. Your picture doesn't do you justice," Hameed said, smiling and crossing his wrists behind his back.

"Dhan'yavāda," she said expertly, surprise bleeding into Hameed's wrinkled face.

"You speak Hindi?"

"Yes, I can speak seven different languages actually."

"Pratibhā."

"Yes, I am," she said, smiling at Booth and his confused expression. "He said I was a genius."

"Alright, let's not start that secret conversation stuff, because I'll feel left out and stupid," Booth proposed, moving his hand to settle more on her hip, so he could pull her closer to him.

"Don't worry about that," Hameed said, nodding to the door that he came in from. "We should go anyway. "

"Yes we should, now Bones, close your eyes," Booth said, nodding as Hameed took out another two dripping bottles of water and moved outside.

"Close my eyes? Why?"

"Because it's a surprise, now close your eyes," he ordered, guiding her outside once she huffed and complied. He rested his hand over her eyes for safety and he moved to stand behind her, smiling like a child on Christmas morning, as he looked over the surprise that cast a majestic shadow over his being.

"Alright Bones, open your eyes," he whispered, moving his hand and smiling as she laughed in disbelief.  
Before them stood a large elephant; head tossing and ears twitching as flies moved to settle on the tough, wrinkled gray skin. Her tail twitched, and she moved her trunk from a water trough to her mouth multiple times until she was sated.

"That's a big elephant," Brennan said, her eyes wide and her smile bright.

"They usually are Bones," he muttered, grabbing her hands and leading her closer. "Have you ever ridden an elephant?"

She shook her head, and tensed her muscles slightly, wary of being around such a large animal.

"Don't worry there Maṇi, Shiva wouldn't hurt anyone," Hameed said, patting the elephants thick leg before moved towards her trunk. He said something quick to the elephant, and she lowered herself, moving her trunk to rest on ground.

Booth moved to push her forward but stopped; taking the bottle of sunscreen she still had clasped in her hands away from her for a second. She turned her head to question him, but jolted forward when the cold, creamy substance was dragged across her shoulders, and his large, warm hands started massaging the tight muscles in her back.

"Thank you," she whispered over her shoulder, smiling at him softly as she accepted the sunscreen bottle again, and handed it back to Hameed.

"Just hold onto her trunk, and she'll lift you onto her back," the frail man said, smiling as he took the bottle, and watched as an elated Booth stepped up and grabbed onto Shiva's trunk. His laugh echoed through the air when he was raised towards Shiva's head, and he easily scrambled to sit on her large, thick neck. "Come on Bones!" he called, smiling at her and offering his hand when she finally relented and climbed onto the elephant's trunk.

She grabbed Booth's hand tightly, and he helped her to sit in front of him, his hands resting at her hips reassuringly as Hameed clicked and the large elephant lumbered to her feet.

Brennan wrapped his arms around her stomach tightly, and she dug her nails into his wrist as she held onto his arm, her breathing heavy and scared.

"Bones, you aren't afraid of heights are you?" Booth asked; a smile on his face as she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"It's not the height that I'm scared of, it's the possibility of falling that I don't necessarily find comfortable," she growled at him, feeling a small bit better when he rested his chin on her shoulder and laughed.

He tightened his arms around her, and brought her back so she was rest snug against his front, his thumb passing against her belly softly and soothingly. "I told you before Bones, I won't let you fall. I promise."

"Situated?" Hameed asked, smiling at the couple snuggled close to each other, "Just press the toe of your shoe behind her ear and guide her with her ears, then tap her twice when you want her to stop," he instructed.

Booth tightened his arms even tighter around her, and touched behind Shiva's ear; shushing Brennan softly as she squealed and the elephant started lumbering forward. "Don't worry, Bones," he whispered, brushing his thumb against her belly again and again. "Just relax. It's like riding a motorcycle, you just have to relax and have fun."

She shivered and leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she looked forward and pressed her hands into the strong neck of the elephant. They swayed back and forth as Shiva walked forward, the beautiful scenes of India passing them slowly as she relaxed into his arms.

She didn't think twice about his arms being around her, and for the fact of the matter, neither did he. They rocked and moved with Shiva, and both of them smiled as they watched the sun start dipping towards the horizon. They didn't speak and felt that the silence was comfortable, but when Brennan finally did speak, her voice was quiet, and heart meltingly sweet.

"I've missed India so much," Brennan confessed, rubbing her hands across his arms, and smiling softly to herself. "Booth…thank you, thank you, thank you…for bringing me here."

"You're welcome, Bones," Booth muttered, resting his head against hers, and smiling as single, soft strands of her hair brushed against his face. "Besides, I kind of missed that spark in your eyes, and that soft smile that always touched your lips when you were happy. You really got connected to here when you were in school didn't you?"

"Yeah," she answered, looking at him over her shoulder, and smiling softly as butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and her chest tightened at their close proximity.

Her eyes fluttered to his lips multiple times, before rejoining with his gaze, and she gasped softly as they both instinctually leaned closer, but tore apart when Shiva raised her trunk into the air and emitted a loud call, tossing her head and rearing back slightly.

Laughing, Booth kept his arm around Brennan and patted Shiva's head, directing her back towards the hut. "Relax girl," he hushed, looking up as twilight stretched across the sky.

The bright blue that had been painted over them for the day, had transformed into plummeting mountains of orange, pink, red and yellow, softening to white, then blue, then purple; the shimmering red discus that seemed to bring the color with it; disappearing from their sight little by little.

"She knows it's time to go home," Booth explained, hugging Brennan's slightly shaking form. "Jared told me a story that Hameed told him, and once it started to get close to dusk, she would just stop and refused to go any further. She just doesn't like roaming around in the dark."

"Well, the dark brings coyotes, wolves, jackals…and elephants can't particularly defend themselves if they can't see their attackers," Brennan reasoned, her eyes closing tight as he held her against the shivers her body was creating. She felt cold and confused, unsure of what she was feeling and why she was feeling it. Had Shiva not made her presence known at that particular moment, she would have been kissing her partner, and deep inside the recesses of her mind, she couldn't decide if that was a good thing, or something completely terrible.

She was roused from her musings by Shiva picking up speed, and jogging towards Hameed when the hut came into view. The thin man jumped up and happily greeted the large beast, and he lulled her softly to calm her, and bring her down to the ground.

Booth easily slid off her neck, and he reached up for Brennan, grabbing her hips and lifting her into his arms when she slid from her spot. They stayed intertwined for a moment, before they awkwardly separated and turned their attention in separate ways.

Brennan kept her eyes locked on the ground, while Booth turned to Hameed and grasped his hand, shaking it once and thanking him profusely. She didn't hear what they talked about, but kept her mind focused on the lines she was drawing through the dirt.

"It was nice to meet you Temperance," Hameed said, breaking through her reverie, and grasping her hand tenderly in a warm hand shake.

"Likewise Hameed," she said with a smile, reaching out to touch Shiva's strong side. "This has been an amazing experience, and I thank you so much for allowing us to come and do this."

"Oh it is my pleasure," he said, taking back his hand and easily pulling himself onto the elephant's neck. "You can come back any time you want, but as for right now, I have to wash down Shiva so she can get some sleep."

"Alright, thank you again," Booth said, waving to the frail man as he directed Shiva into the large barn like structures near another hut residing beside the store. He turned to Brennan and noticed her far away demeanor, a frown on his face as he moved forward and reached up to brush her bangs behind her ear.

She looked at him in shock, and tilted her head, smiling weakly when he smirked at her, and brought his hand to the familiar place on her lower back. "Let's go Bones, you look exhausted."

* * *

"Tomorrow, the first thing we are doing is eating," Brennan muttered, absently playing with the draw string on her mesh shorts as she walked from the bathroom and into the next room; feeling nervous and self conscious as she looked over Booth, who was sitting comfortably on the bed.

"That's a deal, Bones," Booth laughed, smiling at her encouragingly and patting the space of the mattress beside him. "But right now, we both need some sleep. Did you put the aloe on your cheeks?"

The tension in her back disappeared immediately, and she slid into bed beside him with the largest smile on her face. She rested her back against the pillows, and pulled the light, cotton sheets to her hips; looking over at him and nodding an affirmative. "Yes. They weren't as badly burnt as I thought they would be, but I still put the aloe on them."

"Good," he whispered, reaching over to gently brush his fingers across the pink streaks on her skin. "I'm sorry. I should have told you to put more on your face."

"Booth, I'm almost thirty five years old…if I get burned, that is my own fault," she said; rolling her eyes and teasingly pushing his hand away before she buried herself deeper into the sheets, and rolled to face him; smiling unconsciously as they moved closer, but kept just enough room between them so they didn't touch.

They looked at each other, and Brennan felt a soft blush creeping to her skin as he gazed at her with the soft, but hard stare he always looked at her with; as if he was simply in awe of her, and couldn't help but look into her smoky blue eyes.

They shifted, and Brennan rubbed her eyes, looking at him and smiling over her fingers. "I'm not tired anymore."

"Maybe if we just lay here and talk long enough we'll fall asleep."

"Alright. Then…tell me a story…"


	4. The Pyramids and Sphinx, Egypt

**A Step in Every City**

**D529: YAY for updates I hope you enjoy this installment!**

When they awoke the next day, they kept up on their decision and got breakfast first thing, but had to eat fairly quickly if they were going to make their flight to Cairo in an hour. With no words between the duo; they each grabbed an apple and a piece of bread, before leaving their illustrious hotel.

In the car ride there they didn't speak, and waiting for the plane, they still remained mute. Brennan silently thanked no one in particular as she welcomed the five hour flight that would keep them apart for the entire trip.

A voice called over head, and they slowly boarded the plane; Brennan shying away when Booth tenderly placed his hand on her lower back. They looked at each other quickly, as she sat down in her seat, and he continued down the aisle to his own; sitting far enough apart for her to be comfortable.

The plane had been delayed for rain, and finally after an hour, the machinery soared into the air; the sound of the engines ushering Brennan to the decision of taking a nap. Much to her dismay she had a dream about the story that Booth had told her last night. She regretted ever asking him to tell her a story in the first place, well at least after she heard what it was.

"_Alright then, tell me a story." _

"_A story about what Bones?" he asked with uncertainty._

"_I don't know. Why don't you make something up?" _

"_Alright give me a minute." _

_His eyes were thoughtful as he carefully planned the story in his mind. A soft shimmer appeared in the dark brown depths, but uncertainty still reigned supreme. She felt a soft gnawing in her chest, and softly spoke up to voice her concern. "Booth, are you alright?"_

_He stared off into space for a second, but was startled out of his reverie with a small smile, the second her fingers gingerly settled against his arm. "Yeah," he muttered; shaking his head and running his hand over his face almost desperately. "Sorry about that, I was just thinking about something."_

_The concern still settled heavily over Brennan, but she refrained from pushing him since he didn't jump to explain exactly what he was thinking. She smiled encouragingly, and softly ran her fingers down to his hand; urging him forward with a soft: "Okay." _

_Booth smiled as he watched the worry leak into her beautiful blue eyes, and despite himself; turned his hand over, and squeezed her own. "I'm ready to tell you your story, if you want to hear it."_

_The soft twinge of excitement took presence within Brennan, and she smiled wide with an eager nod of her head. "Of course I'm ready to hear, it's what I've been waiting for, and besides, if I no longer wanted to hear it I wouldn't even be awake."_

_His chuckle was soft, and the way his eyes bore into her own sent a soft shiver down her spine. "Okay, Bones. But I have to tell you, you might not like this story, and you have to promise me, that you won't be upset or angry after hearing what I'm about to tell you. Okay?" _

_She tilted her head, and furrowed her brow curiously. She felt the need to argue, and ask what he was talking about; but decided it would be more productive to just hear the story he wanted to tell her. "Okay Booth, I trust you, and I'm sure I won't get angry or upset over the story you're about to tell me." _

_Neither were so sure when Booth proceeded to tell his story. _

"_This is not your typical fairytale but it is one nonetheless. Once, a long time ago, there was a princess named Emily, and a knight named David, that fate brought together one day while they were riding in the woods. She was angry as she tore through the forest foliage, because back home she found out she was to be wed to a prince she had never met before. She didn't enjoy the thought of getting married in the first place, but throwing in a complete stranger to be her husband drove her to run away from her home, towards the waking world she was so desperate to travel._

_The knight David had problems of his own. His father was extremely ill, his mother had died after childbirth and the dark cloud of death and disease settled heavily over his being. He had ran off and studied to be a knight because he felt deep in his heart that all he wanted to do was safe people, but the constant hold over a lethal weapon, didn't necessarily quell the thoughts of taking his life. His grandfather, Robert, had saved him from himself, and took him into his house; caring for him and raising him to be the man he was to that day. He had become knighted, but his job was lowly; catching simple thieves to repent for the small amount of royal blood that ran through his veins. He desperately wanted to make more of himself, and left his old home in search for the life he dreamed, and possibly a woman for him to love._

_Both occupied by their thoughts; they didn't notice they were riding full force towards each other, until their horses stopped cobbled to a stop, and they flew into the other; tumbling to the ground. David released a small groan of pain, but he didn't miss the fact that a beautiful woman with auburn hair, and shining blue eyes was settled on his chest._

"_Oh god, are you alright?" Emily asked softly, raising on her arms, and smiling down at the handsome man, before she pulled herself to her feet, and absently brushed off the front of her dress._

"_Yeah," David grumbled; helping himself to his feet, and brushing off the dirt, grass, and small sticks that littered his back. "Yeah, I'm okay, just a little sore."_

"_Oh," she replied; nodding and moving towards the large black horse standing and stomping at the ground. "Well, if you're alright, then I'd better get going."_

_Her gaze slid over to him, and in the second his eyes connected with her own, he felt his breath leave him in one fell swoop. He took in the length of her shining hair, and the curves of her body; following her skin down to the dainty digits of her hands, until he returned his eyes to her face. She seemed cool and collected, but something in her eyes drew him to her, and he stepped in front of her horse to stop her from leaving._

"_No," he stated softly, shaking his head and looking up at her. "Just…wait."_

_She looked apprehensive, and she quickly shot a look over her shoulder, before turning back to the man she had to admit was ruggedly handsome. "What do you want?" she muttered; softening her face when her words came out too harsh. "It's just…I really should get going."_

"_Well," he stammered, chewing softly on his lip before he drove into the issue, and spoke nervously. "Where are you going? Maybe I could come with you."_

_She released a teasing chuckle, and pulled back on the reigns of her horse until the beauty took a couple steps back, and started to move around his own dapple grey stallion. "I'd really rather you didn't," she muttered, starting down the road; but stopping when he raced his horse forward, and turned to stop in front of her._

"_Why?" he asked, staring her down with melting brown eyes that made her more jumpy then she had ever been in her life._

"_You just__…don't seem like the kind of person who I would get along with," she reasoned; her voice holding no emotion but screamed 'back off'. He smiled at her, and shook his head, thinking that even though she was beautiful, and had a real attitude, didn't mean he was going to stop in his tracks._

"_You could at least tell me your name and where you live."_

_Her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell slightly, an uneasy feeling in her chest at his abruptness. "Emily Kargl," she stated, shaking her head and trying to maneuver her mare around his stallion. "And I'll keep where I live to myself thank you very much."_

_His horse easily side stepped any movement she tried to make, and eventually she stopped and huffed; staring at him, and silently asking for him to move. "My name is David Parker," he said with a smile. "But as of right now, I don't live anywhere. I'm leaving this place to try and find a purpose…to keep me going._"

_Emily looked him over, and tried to figure out if he was telling the truth; but she didn't have a knack for reading people, so she simply piped up and asked: "Why do you need to find a purpose? Did something happen to you?"_

"_Wow you're blunt," he grumbled, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. "Yes, something did happen, but it's quite private." _

_She huffed and shook her head, brushing a strand of her hair aside before speaking angrily. "Fine, but someday you'll tell me, and most likely follow up with your whole life story. As for me, you might as well know now since it'll be all over the city in the next few days. I'm the daughter of King Edward Kargl, and I'm running because I can't take my life anymore. But that's all I'm willing to say on the matter."_

_His smile was reassuring, and he moved his stallion out of her way; sidling up beside her and looking over at her with thankful features. "That's all I asked for." _

_They proceeded to ride with each other through the forest for the next few hours and found that they had a lot in common, even though they weren't anything alike. When it came time for nightfall Emily and David decided to part, but he didn't want her to ride around in the dark, and shouted to get her attention. "Emily! Wait! I'm coming with you. I don't want you riding around these parts at night." _

_She threw her head back and groaned, glaring at him. _"_You are such a pain! I can take care of myself!" _

_He rolled his eyes and reached over to softly hold her forearm, a smile on his face as his thumb worked the soft material covering her arms. "I know," he assured, "But let me at least take you home, or wherever you were planning on going."_

_She sighed in defeat, and shook her head, turning towards the way she came and motioning through the trees. "Well, this ride was to decide where I was going to go. But since you just interrupted me, I have no choice but to head back to the castle."_

"_Then to the castle it is," he assured; riding close beside her as they headed towards royal grounds._

_When they got there, Emily immediately knew something wasn't right. She galloped from his side, and through the gates of the castle; stopping and dismounting her horse when she realized that the lavish building that held her family had been burned. She coughed softly, and moved closer to the wreckage, stomping through the colder embers, before she stopped and choked._

_A stake was planted in the middle of the scene, and tied to that stake was the burned remains of her father; his bones slack and heavy; falling to the ground one by one. She slowly exited the remains of her home, and climbed back onto her horse; riding to David with a completely empty look on her face. "I never want to see you again."_

_His mouth fell aghast, and he looked at her with confusion written all over his face. "What did I do?" he asked, wincing as the sound of her voice turning raw._

"_I f I wasn't with you, I would have been able to return home and stop this from happening! I could have saved my family if you just left me alone!"_

_"You were the one running away! Don't blame me!" he snapped back, despite the pity he felt for her._

"_You are insufferable," she hissed. "I hate you, and hope your God spits on your grave," she finished, turning and fleeing into the underbrush; leaving a devastated David in her wake._

_The next few years were filled with hard times for both, David became an avid gambler and found his way all around Europe; stealing other's money and running from the guys who were determined to retrieve it. While Emily went to France, and studied to become a doctor; distributing medicine to those who were in need of it. _

_One day Emily was called to Germany to treat a knight who had been injured in combat. When she got to the place she was told to go to she immediately recognized the knight as the man she said she never wanted to see again, many years before."Is this some kind of joke?"_

_David's head snapped up and he saw who was treating him: Emily Kargl. The smile shined bright on his face, but he winced when he moved and took off his boot to show her the bone protruding from his ankle. "Well hello to you too. I had no idea who was going to treat me, but I really am hurt." _

"_Ok you are," she muttered, gingerly touching the side of his foot to get a better look. "That is very painful I imagine." _

"_You have no idea," he agreed, gasping when she touched around the tender skin; then pulled away to start rifling through the bag she had with her. "So this is what you've been doing all these years?" _

"_Yes. Now lay down on the table and I will see what I can do about that fracture of yours." _

"_I've missed you." He said while lying down. _

"_I admit that I have always wondered what would happen if I ever saw you again and I would like to apologize for that night. I was distraught but I eventually found my way." _

"_No apology necessary, but thank you. I see that you have found your way and you are very good at what you do." _

"_Thank you," she said with a smile; wrapping the bandage around his ankle once more, before fastening it shut with small metal prongs. "You're all wrapped up. Just don't put any pressure on it for a few months. I'll get you some crutches on the way out." She smiled grimly at him before grabbing his arm to guide him to the front office. _

_David's arm tingled at the contact and he couldn't contain himself any longer. "Would you like to go get something to eat with me when you're finished working? Just as friends. You know to catch up?"_

_She looked up into his eyes and hesitated slightly before replying with, "I believe I can fit that into my schedule. Say around 7?" _

"_Great but since I can't do anything can we take your carriage?" _

"_Of course and I will be glad to help you." _

_When 7:00 came around Emily drove up to David's house and they went to a local restaurant and caught up. _

_Over the next few years they saw each other almost every day but what David hated the most was that he couldn't court her because she was already being courted by several other men and he didn't know how much longer he could watch that go on. _

_A few weeks later David had to go into combat and he knew he would have to hurt Emily because he would have to fake his death and he couldn't tell anyone; not even his family; because of the risk of having them get hurt or killed because this certain man was very evil and needed to be put to rest. So the next week he went into combat and didn't come back. Emily was devastated and couldn't come to terms with what had happened. _

_When the funeral rolled around Emily couldn't bring herself to go but her strong-willed friend Luisa forced her to attend because she knew he would want that. After much arguing, she relented and went. _

_When she got there she listened to all of the speeches and eulogies before the burial began. A man stepped up to the coffin; his every feature screaming 'danger' before a man in full uniform jumped out and tackled the man to the ground. Emily couldn't ascertain the commotion going on, but her mouth dropped completely, when the darker man was knocked out, and the man in full uniform came face to face with her. "DAVID! What is this? You're supposed to be dead!" _

"_Hey Em, yeah about that-"_

"_No! You don't get to talk! Do you have any idea what I went through these past few weeks?" _

"_I think I do because I realized something, but I'll tell you what that is in time, as for right now all I can say is I'm sorry okay?" _

"_No! Not okay! At least for the moment," she cried; walking up to him and punching him in the nose, before she stormed away._

_David clutched his nose and after the pain subsided a bit; ran after her. _

"_Em, wait up!" _

"_What? I told you I didn't want to talk to you!" _

"_I know but you need to hear this." _

"_Ok what is it?" she relented, turning and staring at him with hurt eyes._

"_I couldn't tell anyone what happened and it really pained me that I wasn't able to tell you about this and I will do anything to make it up to you, so that we can be alright." _

_She released a breathless sigh, and stepped up to him. She circled him in her arms, and held him as tight to her as physically possible; her soft sobs brushing against his neck; glad that he alright. _

_As the years passed, he worked on making their friendship even stronger than before, and one night, it all led up to the moment he had been planning since his 'funeral'._

_They went out for dinner like they usually did and then he led her to the lake they always went to. Walking under the stars, he stopped and looked nervously to his feet; looking up at her and releasing the breath he was holding before he whispered: "Em, I want to give us a shot." _

"_What? Why? We can never be. Remember?" _

"_Em," he pleaded; stepping closer to her. "I would really like to try, please?" _

"_No, David I don't think I could do that, there's too much to lose!" _

"_Em, do you know what you're doing to me by saying this? You're crushing my soul." _

"_David please, don't do this," she whimpered; tears slicing down her soft, ivory cheeks. "If we don't work out I don't know what I would do." _

"_So that's what's wrong here?" he asked, reaching out and gently holding her hand. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm in love with you and want to try. If you're not ready I'll wait because I don't think I could ever move on." _

_The tears that blurred her vision and the sobs that wracked her chest drove Emily crazy, but after a few minutes of careful thinking; she decided, and nodded softly. "Okay…Okay. I would be willing to give us a shot but we need to go really, really slow." _

"_That's all I'm asking for. Come here." _

_He held his arms open and when she rushed to him; he wrapped them around her and gave her a hug, but almost as soon as he did she pushed away and grabbed his face and brought it down to hers. _

_When they broke, they smiled and walked hand in hand back to Emily's house. _

_Booth paused for a moment and looked at Brennan seeing her silently crying. Before he finished Brennan asked: "What happened to them today?" _

"_It's just a story Bones, but I would have to say that I think they are doing very well. Last I heard they were travelling around the world together." He smiled. _

"_Thanks for the story Booth, but I have to ask why did you feel you had to tell me all this?" _

_"It was important Bones; I need you to realize how I'm feeling about certain things." _

"_Oh, so you're saying I'm not a feeling person?" she asked; her voice starting to rise._

"_No that's not what I'm saying at all! I just…you know what never mind." _

"_No, what were you going to say?" _

"_Nothing important. It was what I was going to do…" _

"_Which was wha-"_

_In a second; his arms shot to her and he pulled her across the bed; his lips crushing against hers. She relaxed softly in his arms; but came to her senses and pushed back; scrabbling away from him and moving to stand beside the bed. "Booth, we can't do this! I'm going to sleep on the couch tonight; I'll just…see you tomorrow. Good night!" _

_He called after her, and swore heavily when he turned and slammed his fist into the wall. Flopping back he dug the heels of his hands into his eyes; mentally kicking himself until he settled enough to fall asleep._

_The next morning was spent in complete silence._

Brennan was woken by the hand of a flight attendant, informing her that they were about to land, and she should return her seat to the proper position. She smiled in return and sat up in her seat but her mind was elsewhere, the dream was still extremely vivid in her mind and she had a feeling her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Even though she hated psychology she could see the logic in it all.

When they finally landed she and Booth exited the plane and went to get their luggage before they went to the car rental.

When they finally got their car, they got in and Booth drove to their hotel. When they arrived, Brennan was greeted by the manager with a friendly embrace.

"Hello Temperance! It's so nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"Quite well. Thank you, Anhur," she insisted; holding onto his hands and smiling to try and hide the frown she had plastered onto her face.

"Temperance," he whispered; bringing her knuckles to his lips softly. "Even after all of these years I can tell something is wrong. You know I'm no fool."

"It's nothing important, just a fight I had with someone recently but don't worry about it."

Anhur looked at her wearily but let it go as he knew to do with her. "Alright well I will show you to your rooms."

"Thank you, Anhur."

"Bones, what was that all about?" Booth asked; narrowing his eyes towards the handsome, tanned man who was fetching their keys from behind the desk.

"Nothing important, Booth. Now come on, let's go to our room"

Booth sighed in defeat, and followed her into the elevator, muttering to himself and thinking: _'I should have never told her that story…I should have never kissed her. I shouldn't have done anything.'_

They entered the small room overlooking the center of Cairo and deposited their luggage on the floor of the sitting room. They disappeared to freshen up a bit, and grabbed something quick to eat before Booth told her he had another surprise for her.

"What is it Booth? I hope it's not another story," she joked; wincing and regretting the words the second they were voiced.

Booth was slightly hurt but replied "No it's not another story but even better. I'm sorry; I never should've told you that story."

"It's fine Booth but let's get going to your surprise before its dark."

Booth sighed and knew it wasn't fine but he let it go. It would solve its self and he was most certain that after going to where they were going that everything would be fine.

They drove for about an hour and when Brennan saw where they were going she looked at Booth with surprise but sincere thanks.

The Great Pyramids stretched high into the darkening sky; the lights at the base enlightening it to shine a magical gold. "Thank you so much for taking me here Booth! I'm surprised you remembered my love for Egyptian culture."

"Bones, you cleared the name of an Egyptian prince, and I'm pretty sure you love just about every culture. You don't have to keep thanking me," he whispered, glancing at her, before he put the car in park, and stepped out into the cooling desert air.

"I still really want to thank you Booth, it means a lot," she returned; meeting him at the front of the car and leaning in to kiss his cheek without thinking.

Booth blushed and his skin tingled at her touch but smiled widely.

When they finally arrived at the Pyramids they got out and looked around. With her arms crossed against the chilling breeze, she turned to Booth and smiled softly. "Do you know the story about the pyramids? How they were built, when, and who they were built for?"

"Yes as a matter of fact I do," he said proudly, sticking his chest out and standing just a bit straighter. "I had to do a project on Ancient Egypt back in the 4th grade and I remember most of it. Thanks though," he smiled and draped his arm around her shoulders; pulling her closer against the chill that was settling over her.

"You know Booth I forgive you…about your story I mean. It just caught me off guard and I'm sorry I reacted terribly to you. It was extremely irrational and I could see how much it hurt you."

"It's ok Bones. I kinda knew it was going to happen I just didn't expect it to happen that way. Remember though I did warn you beforehand."

"I know Booth. Do you accept my apology?"

"Of course. I wasn't angry at you in the first place. Want a hug?"

She smiled and stepped forward into his arms; settling softly against his chest as his arms enclosed her small body as tight to him as possible.

When they pulled away a few minutes later they smiled at each other and then looked at the Pyramids again.

"Wait Booth, where's the Sphinx?"

"Over there come on let's go see it."

They walked a few miles through the sands and finally they reached the Great Sphinx.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here Booth. You have no idea how much I am enjoying this trip with you."

"My pleasure Bones now you ready to head back?"

"Yes, I'm quite tired let's head back."

They walked back and drove back another hour except this hour went by much faster than the hour up since they were now on speaking terms.

When they got back to the hotel, Anhur could tell that Brennan was feeling better and was glad that she and her friend solved their problem. They headed up the stairs and opened their room. They each took turns showering and then they went to bed at the end of an exhausting day.

**AN2: Ok that was really long xD I hope you enjoyed it! Yes I know I'm kinda mean but there had to be some angst xD!**


	5. Safari Adventure, Tanzania

**An: Okay. Took way too much time for me to write this. God, finally was able to get through it today at work, but hey...look at that word count. That's what's up. :)**

* * *

Resting on her stomach; she watched as Booth bounced on the balls of his feet while he packed the suitcase laid out at the foot of his bed. Her eyes followed his body as he moved up and down; a goofy smile on his lips. "Are you going to inform me exactly why you're bouncing?"

"Bones, come on, how are you not pumped about this?"

"It's just another flight Booth. We've been racking up the frequent flier miles already; I don't understand why you are so excited about flying somewhere else."

"Because, it's only a five hour flight," he said; bouncing more heavily. "Compared to the ten plus hours of flying that's been the norm. It's amazing. Only eighteen minutes to Cairo, and five hours to Kilimanjaro International."

"You're excited for a five hour flight?" she asked; rolling her eyes as she stood from her bed.

"Hell yeah! It's only five hours. We can so deal with five hours. We'll probably talk for the whole time and it'll feel like only an hour or two…"

"Or you'll keep interrupting me when I'm trying to write my book," she growled; grabbing one of his shirts that he threw onto the floor the day before, and snapping it against his back.

"Ow," he laughed; rubbing at the irritated stinging before tearing his shirt away from her. "I can't help it if watching you type is boring. Besides, half of the time you turn the computer away. What are you going to do since you aren't near Angela to give you steam advice?"

"I email her every chapter, and she highlights certain areas with a computer program, and then tells me what I should add to each numbered area. I then rewrite it, and copy what I wrote into my manuscript document," she explained; letting her words roll of her tongue as she checked her carryon bag to make sure her laptop was tucked with a couple of books of hers, and nowhere else.

"Just for that, I'm going to make sure I never shut up, so you can't concentrate," he promised; throwing his shirt in with the rest of his clothes, and zipping up his suitcase.

"Which is precisely why I brought my iPod."

"I'll hide your headphones."

"I have extras with my laptop bag."

"I'll steal your laptop bag."

"I'll break your leg."

"You're grumpy."

"I am not grumpy!" Brennan argued; turning to him with a mischievous look glimmering in her eyes. "I slept perfectly fine last night."

"No you didn't," Booth stated; stepping closer to her, and sticking his finger out so he could tap her nose. "You kept me up because you kept tossing and turning last night. You didn't fall asleep until three in the morning."

"It was probably because you snored so loud the night before," she shot back; grabbing his wrist and pushing it away from her face.

"Oh that is no excuse. You've shared a bed with me before, and slept like a log."

"After the circus? That was probably because I secreted copious amounts of adrenaline before; which in turn, made me tired."

"Temperance Brennan…she's never wrong is she?"

"Rarely, am I wrong," she agreed; smiling at him and shaking her head when she looked up and locked her eyes with his. She tried to take a breath into her lungs, but found that simple act extremely difficult as the pressure on her chest increased, and her hand settled on his chest not only to steady herself, but to keep them from moving closer to each other. "We should probably get to the airport. Getting through security in Egypt is torture."

"Yeah," Booth whispered; gently reaching his own hand up to brush against hers. "We…we should go."

"That's what I just said."

~*~*B+B*~*~

Booth huffed as he settled down next to her; his head falling into his hands as the airport bustled and buzzed with angered passengers. "This is because I was so excited for the five hour flight."

"Well, Booth; the flight is still going to be five hours…we just have to wait another two hours for this huge thunderstorm to pass," Brennan explained; leaning back and studying one of her nails. "You seem to have excellent flight timing. Do you ever actually check the weather before you book flights?"

"You're the one with the laptop."

"Then why didn't you ask if you could check the weather?"

"Because I'm trying to go with the free spirit thing here Bones," he said; leaning back in his own seat so that his shoulder brushed with her own. "It's fine. Two hours…I can get through that."

"Yeah…when you actually find something to do," she teased; smiling at him and pushing her knee against his. "I have cards in my bag. If it won't bother you too much, we could go over to one of the tables and play something."

"Why would that bother me?" he asked with a small smile; hushing his voice down to the intimate level he spoke in when they were sitting close together.

"Just…being considerate of your past."

"Well that's very sweet of you, but as long as we don't actually start gambling for stuff, then I'll be fine," Booth explained; taking the pack of cards she pulled from her bag and slipping the stack out. "What me to show you a magic trick?"

"Magic doesn't exist Booth," Brennan reasoned; watching as his hands shuffled the cards expertly, and did multiple small tricks with the cards.

"I'm going to ask you again. Do you want me to show you a magic trick?"

"Sure…"

"Alright," he said; smiling and ushering her over to a nearby table. Shuffling the cards quickly; he fanned them out in his hand; showing her the backs of them, and asking her to pick a card.

Picking a random one near his finger; she looked at the eight red hearts printed on the card, before handing it back to him so he couldn't see; watching as he placed it on top of the deck. He pinched the top and bottom cards together and placed them on the bottom of the deck; repeating that procedure four times, before taking the top and bottom cards and placing the couple on the top.

He tilted the bottom to her and showed her the card; stating obviously that it wasn't hers, before placing it face down on the table. He took the top and bottom cards and placed it on the top of the deck; before continuously showing her the bottom card, placing it on top of the others; and coupling the top and bottom cards.

She watched carefully as the six cards that were shown to her were not her own and let her eyebrow raise towards her hairline as she tried to wrap her head around exactly what he was doing. He repeated what he did with the deck, with the six cards; flashing her the bottom card before settling it face down on the table, and pinching the top and bottom cards before placing them on top.

When he reached two cards; he turned them in his fingers and showed them both to her, before placing them on top and taking the six cards into his hand. He placed his thumb at the corner and smiled at her; nodding to the deck in his hand. "Slap the deck."

Brennan shook her head and smacked down at the deck; sending five of the cards flying from his finger until only one remained in his fingers. Turning the card towards her, the eight red hearts that she had looked at before stared back at her and her mouth fell open. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Magic," Booth stated; laughing at her flabbergasted look and letting all of the cards waterfall into his hands.

"I told you before, magic doesn't exist. Just…illusions," Brennan argued; shaking her head as he pulled the ace of diamonds from the top and flicked the back; the card turning into the ace of spades. "Booth!"

"What Bones?" he asked; flicking the back and turning the card back into the ace of diamonds.

"How can you do that?" she asked; laughing as he snapped and the two aces flew away from each other and into each of his hands.

"I told you before that I usually won when I gambled," Booth explained; straightening the deck and setting it in the middle of the table. "I was a master at pool, and a jinx when it came to poker. I won my card games because I had the swiftest hands in the rangers, and if I have anything to say about it…I say I'm still the man with lightning fingers."

"So if we actually play a card game, you're going to cheat?"

"Not exactly, but if we play Egyptian rat screw I'll kick your ass."

"Oh really?"

"Lightning fingers baby," he teased; wiggling his fingers in front of her face.

"Oh really?" she asked again; picking up the cards and placing them in his hand. "Deal the cards then…let's see who has lightning fingers."

"Doubles?"

"Hell yes."

~*~*B+B*~*~

A voice broke over the intercom the second that Brennan's hand slapped down on the stack of cards; her collection growing with a sly smile as Booth was down to only a few cards, and the rest were settled between her hands.

She sat down a seven and he followed with a king; a queen of her own flipping from her fingers as he sat down the last two cards he had, and neither were face cards. "Yeah lighting fingers," she teased; taking the cards in her hand and slipping them into the box. "Obviously you aren't quick enough to fight with the master."

He saw that their plane was boarding, and before she could argue he grabbed her bag; migrating with her towards the terminal while shooting looks at her from the corner of his eye. "I don't get it. How were you so quick? The only reason you won was because you slapped down all of the doubles…"

"Well, I just sneak my hand in while you get a wind up before slapping down," she explained; showing her reddened knuckles to him. "Thank you for that by the way."

"I'm really sorry about that," he whispered; taking her hand in his and softly brushing the pads of his fingers across her knuckles. "I didn't mean to hit your hand that hard."

"It's part of the game Booth, my hand is fine," she insisted; smiling at the tender touch. "It just stung a little at first."

"I still feel bad for it," he muttered; dropping her hand before looking at the cut on his finger from catching his skin on her ring. "But your mother's ring did get my finger pretty good."

"Yeah, I should be worrying more about your cut, instead of you worrying about hitting my hands," Brennan mumbled; grabbing for his wrist and turning his palm towards her. "Nothing too horrible…just a little torn skin…"

"Thanks for the status update Dr. Obvious," he teased as he instinctually touched the outside of the plane and glared over his shoulder to make sure she did the same.

"I still don't understand why you make me do this every single time we get on an airplane," she muttered; reaching out and touching the metal before ducking inside and moving down the aisles of first class until she slid into the seat near the window and he strapped their carry on above their head.

"Because it's good luck Bones," Booth explained for the millionth time during their trip. "It ensures a safe flight."

"What ensures a safe flight is capable staff, and trained, coordinated pilots," Brennan stated; buckling herself in before she turned her head to the side and looked out along the wing of the plane.

"Yeah because training gets us safely from one place to the other," he muttered sarcastically; looking at her and chuckling as they both silently observed how idiotic he sounded. "You do it for me, and that's all that matters."

"I'm slowly sacrificing my sanity for you," she assured; smiling at him and sharing another soft chuckle before the rest of the passengers boarded, and the stewardess ran over the emergency drills they both knew by heart.

He groaned as the light blinked on at the front of the plane, and he was forced to snap the belt at his waist; grumbling angrily as he settled his cheek against his hand, and listened as the engines roared minutes later.

"What's your vendetta against seat belts?" Brennan asked; glancing over at him and handing him a piece of gum to chew on.

Taking the strip gratefully; he started chewing as the plane took off, and kept himself from having to deal with the painful pressure that built up in his ears from rising so far into the air. Moving the gum towards the side of his mouth; he shook his head and tore his belt away from him once the light went off. "It's not so much a…vendetta-"

"It's a vendetta."

"Okay, I just hate seat belts alright. They get in the way."

"Would you say that if you weren't wearing a seat belt and got in a car wreck?"

"I would probably go through the windshield and wouldn't say anything Bones," he muttered in a reasoning tone of his own; nodding his head once when she let her eye brows rise towards her hairline; signifying he had a point. "But if I'm in a pursuit and have to jump out of the car, it's a lot easier to jump out of the car without a seat belt to deal with."

"I suppose you're right...but they do protect your life Booth, and it's against the law not to wear them."

"I wear them around you."

"Yeah, but what if I'm not in the car-"

"You're always in the car."

"Not always," she argued; lowering her voice when an older woman shot an almost irritated glare at the bickering couple. "One day I might not be there and then I'll be subjected to having to come visit your grave and speak to your headstone even though I know you won't be there."

"But…you'll be going there because you promised me you would…so when you actually go there…you'll imagine that I am satisfied, even though I'm just a rotting corpse that can't be anything but worm food."

"I suppose."

Laughing; he pulled down the table like structure hooked to the seat in front of him, and took out his own deck of cards; flashing them to her with another evil grin on his lips. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

~*~*B+B*~*~

"We're staying in their safari lodging," Booth explained as they waved good bye to the shuttle driver and moved to one of the numbered green huts; the outside stone covered in ivy while the roof was covered with grey colored sticks.

Using the key he had gotten earlier; he unlocked the beautifully carved wooden door and stepped inside; their mouths gaping open as they took in how large the 'hut' actually was.

A huge living room with beautiful wall ornaments and beige colored carpets covered the impeccable wooden floors; the large living room disintegrating to a bedroom; that's walls circled towards the porch that was built against the down sloping hills. The bedroom's space was occupied by a large king sized bed; along with a table settled between two dark wicker chairs; the white sheets stretched crisply over the mattress with a soft, maroon throw covering the foot of the bed.

They settled their bags in the bedroom and Booth eagerly moved outside; taking in the tables, chairs, and lounge chairs that were scattered perfectly along the large wooden deck; a river slicing through the ground in front of them with large grey forms moving through the waters and around the land.

"Bones…look," he said; tilting his head and quizzically looking at the sight before him. "Hippos."

Laughing; she moved onto the deck with him and watched the collection of hippos move slowly along the grass and through the water. She took in a deep breath of the refreshing air and shook her head; bringing one of the papers left on the table into her line of sight. "This is amazing," she said. "The Serengeti tour leaves at 3:30 tomorrow; then we'll come back at 7, and at 8; dinner is served at the boma."

"The what?"

"Boma," she stated again; pointing over to the fireplace that was surrounded by half crescents of chairs and small tables. "It's over there."

"I have to say, this place is awesome. Bones, there are hippos."

"Yes, there are," Brennan muttered; looking at him with a smile before starting to move back into the bedroom. "And there are wildebeests, lions, zebras, giraffes, and huge…huge…pythons…"

"Ha! Bones you're scared!"

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are. You have snake-o-phobia."

"The correct term for the irrational fear of snakes is ophidiophobia," she explained; settling on the edge of the bed after placing the paper on the table near one of the windows.

"Well, it isn't necessarily irrational when they're fucking huge and could swallow a wildebeest whole," Booth muttered; sitting beside her and flopping back with his hands behind his head.

"Oh yes, you're such a help in this situation," she grumbled; shaking her head and running her fingers over her face. "It doesn't matter. We'll be safe anyway. I'll expect a lion to come chasing after our caravan before a python jumps out of the water and drags me away."

Smiling almost sadly; he reached up and rubbed her back; massaging away the tension despite the multiple red flags that were being thrown up in his mind. She released a soft groan and he felt electricity shoot through his body; his eyes closing tight as he fought his own groans of pleasure that he shouldn't be experiencing.

"It'll be alright Bones," he promised softly; rubbing at her shoulder blades before he let his hand fall away to his side. "I'll make sure no big snake comes after you."

"What about lions?"

"Do they run away if I kick them in the nose?"

"I don't necessarily know. Are you fast enough to actually kick them in the nose, or will you be just slow enough that you kick your foot straight into their mouth?"

"The lab has done this to you," Booth whispered; shaking his head as he sat up and glanced at his watch. "Such a beautiful, beautiful woman with such a dark, dark mind."

"They're rational questions Booth!" she argued; fighting away the blush she could feel heating under her skin. "Lions have quick reflexes. You…maybe not as fast."

"I just won't bring beef jerky to snack on," he reasoned; moving to the edge of the room and smiling mischievously. "It's bed test time."

"Good god," she mumbled; crossing her legs and settling her chin in her hand as he ran and flew onto the huge bed on his stomach; his voice muffled by the now rumpled white sheets. Mumbling something she couldn't understand; he placed his thumb in the air and breathed out a content sigh.

"It's good."

~*~*B+B*~*~

The hour long dinner had been turned into three at the hands of the anthropologist and her FBI agent partner. They talked by the roaring bon fire, slapping away unexpected bugs and drinking fruity wine. The alcohol content of said wine wasn't high enough to get them anywhere near drunk, but the pleasant buzz that burned through their bloodstream was enough to send them into fits of giggles and slightly inebriated laughs at the most random and particularly humorless happenstances.

She held tightly to his arm as he pushed the door open to their hut like suite; her heart warming laughs filling the air as she giggled at nothing, and stumbled over her feet. His arm came protectively around her waist, and she rested against the solid wall of his chest; his concern for her safety bringing her lithe body fully into his arms.

The smell of her hair caught in his throat and he released the smallest of whimpers as he rested his nose against the curve of her neck; breathing in the perfume that had made a permanent place in his dreams. The arms she had around him tightened as he pulled her closer and a breathless laugh left her lips right against his ear.

He shivered and knew they weren't drunk enough for this, and against his better judgment he helped her back until she was sitting on the edge of the bed, and his fingers softly hooked under her knee. Darkened blue eyes followed his form as he knelt in front of her, and guided her foot to his leg; his soft touch easily undoing the buckles at her ankles that she had trouble undoing when she was sober.

The straps around her foot fell completely and her bare feet settled in his lap; his lips coming to press tender kisses to the insides of her ankles. Her hands tightened around the comforter and she felt her breath shorten; her eyes trained on his strong features and the soft fingers massaging her skin; the quiver in his throat not going unnoticed by the anthropologist's hazy gaze.

She gasped for air and stared down at his lips; giving into the alcohol inside of her instead of her still rational mind that was screaming for her to stop. At the mention of her mind, she stilled, and released a strangled breath. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him up; stripping his shirt over his head so she could pull it over her own.

The straps of her white sundress fell away under the fabric of the shirt, and in the blink of an eye she was dressed for bed; his old t-shirt loosely rested on her shoulders. She smiled at him and motioned to the mattress, stifling a monstrous yawn before speaking in a breathless and quiet voice. "We…should probably go to bed. You know, we have to get up at some time tomorrow, and we're quite exhausted as is."

"Yeah," he returned; his voice as smooth as silk. "We, uh…probably should turn in."

His movements weren't rushed as he pushed his jeans away from his hips, but the quivering throughout his whole body never relented as he kept his eyes locked with her own. The act he was participating in felt way too intimate between them, and the lump in his throat was threatening to choke him if he didn't look away.

The clearing of his throat was in no way discreet, and his feet practically ran him to his side of the bed. He slid under the covers and rolled onto his side as she did the same and settled comfortably on her stomach; her eyes dropping as she settled her arm beside her, and a slight twinge of nervousness colored her irises. "Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"Could you…scratch my arm?" She hid her face from him momentarily, before she peeked around the curtain of her hair. "My mother used to do it to me when I was a child and it always put me right to sleep."

Her smile was small, but his shined with the light of a thousand suns. The new look into her past as a child settled his heart into a pounding, steady rhythm, and his hand softly held hers for a second, before he allowed his fingers to softly trace down her arms.

He watched the shivers roll down her spines and allowed his blunt nails to softly scratch at her skin; a smile glowing on his face as her features relaxed and her breathing started to slow. Soft whimpers emitted from her throat in a tender pleasure, and sparks erupted beneath his skin as every kittenish mewl reverberated deep within his chest.

Eventually she sank into the mattress, and her soft sounds stopped. He watched her face; lost of all worry lines and serene as she slept. He let his fingers settle against her face, and smiled as she softly twitched under his touch, but smiled in her sleep. He touched down the soft skin of her cheek and smirked; shaking his head until he moved closer to her and moved his arm around her back. His cheek pressed against her shoulder, and he closed his eyes to focus on the strong heartbeat pulsing around him.

"Hmm…good night Bones."

~*~*B+B*~*~

The black ink of the night sky erupted into color as the sun neared the horizon. Red, the color of blood, stretched close to the sparse, gaping trees like a smirking show announcer; teasing and flaunting the unexpected surprises to come. The land and vegetation took on the black color of the disappearing sky, and the mountains raised at the back of the picture glowed a deep, rusted orange. Birds cawed and cried softly, and animals awoke under the impeding sight. Another day began, and life restarted the usual cycle, but only the luckiest of creatures were able to witness the astonishing view of oranges and yellows shooting like arrows across the blood red back drop the second the glowing golden sun rose into sight. Light covered as far as the eye could see, and the early rising animals shrunk away from the scrutinizing glare of the star they were so dependent on.

Curtains in other huts were wisely closed against this shining phenomenon, but in their slightly drunken haze, they had failed to close the thick red curtains that hung half closed over the glass doors, and the thick, unrelenting rays of the sun crossed right across Booth's face.

He grumbled and tried to turn his head away, but found that a lithe wall of cotton covered flesh was stopping him from doing so. The smell of her perfume from the night before melded with his own cologne clinging to the shirt around her body, and the intimate combination brought a pleasured flame to wrap around his entire being.

He released a soft groan and tightened his arms around her body. A soft whimper left her lungs as he pressed harder against her, and her body pushed against him involuntarily. The pressure set him in momentum, and he rolled onto his side. His arms around her brought her with him, and her back curved perfectly against his chest. They rolled into the shade and mutual sighs of content rose into the Tanzanian air as the sun's unrelenting rays warmed the intertwined bodies that had remained glued to the other against the freezing air that was blowing from the air conditioner in the corner of the room.

~*~*B+B*~*~

Hours later, the sun had crept high into the sky, and the bodies intertwined in the soft bed started stirring. Heart beats rose to a normal pace and breathing started to quicken as limbs and soft touches brushed against each other. An unconscious kiss was pressed against sleep curled hair and soft grumbles of oncoming awakening rolled through the air.

"Mmm," Brennan growled; trying to keep his arms around her so she could sleep longer. "What time is it?"

"Hmm?" Booth returned; his hold still tight around her as he let his head rise from her shoulder to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand behind him. "It's eleven…"

The grumble that left her throat was low and long; rumbling in her back and against his chest pressed flush to her. She tried turning in his arms in an attempt to get comfortable, but the vice of his arms kept her in place, and she was forced to open her eyes. She glanced around the circular room and shook her head; bringing her hands to rub hard at her eyes before she realized her partner was still half asleep…and using her as a pillow.

"Booth," she called; her voice still laced with sleep. "Wake up."

"I don't want to," he argued; his words perfectly clear and betraying the fact that he wasn't sleeping at all.

Sighing, she reached over and pinched the inner skin of his hip; laughing and rolling away from him when he yelped and released her from his grasp. He looked at her with surprise, and she laughed whole heartedly; reaching over and softly touching the hand that was rubbing the aggravated skin.

"That really hurt," Booth whimpered; pouting childishly and shying away from her hand.

"Booth, you're fine," she stated; moving closer to him to make sure she didn't truthfully hurt him, but when he rolled away, he rolled from the bed, and brought her with him. They tumbled to the ground and she landed solidly on his chest; her head tucked against his neck. He groaned in pain and held her to him; making sure she wasn't hurt despite the pain pulsating through the muscles in his back.

She chuckled softly, but instantly noticed that his muscles had tensed. She rose on her elbows and looked down at him; a wash of intimacy rushing over her as she found out just how close the two were. Their lips were only breaths away, and the curls of her hair had fallen around her face to tickle at his skin. A tingling sensation rushed through her body, and she shivered against the hold around her. Cautiously sliding her hand up his chest; she let her fingers softly touch his jaw; his attention actually focusing on her, instead of what they both knew they wanted to happen. "Are you alright?"

Again for the hundredth time in the past couple seconds, his eyes traveled down to her lips; so soft, plump, and so utterly _kissable_.

_Mmm, kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her. Save yourself the torture and show her how delirious you can make her. Take her to the stars Seeley…past the stars and into a whole other universe._

"Hmm…what?"

"Are you alright?" she asked again, this time with more distress and concern.

"I don't really know," he answered honestly; unable to discern exactly how hurt he was from lying underneath her lithe body.

The second she stood up, he groaned. She thought it was from pain…physical pain, but truthfully it wasn't. The loss of her heat, the smell of her hair, the touch of her skin; brought a single painful throb to his chest. The back and forth game they were playing was driving him insane, and just the thought of them going from fighting to almost kissing exhausted him to a point of no return.

The hold of her hands around his arm brought him from his inner monologue, and he struggled to his feet; grumbling, groaning, and whimpering as his strained and sore muscles screamed in protest. After much struggle, and balancing of weight between the two; he was able to struggle to his feet; his hunched posture doing the best to calm the pain so easily aggravated.

"Do you want me to fix your back for you?" Brennan inquired; pressing her fingers softly into the relaxing pressure points in his back.

"Yes please," Booth grumbled; gasping in both pain and pleasure when her arms circled him, and her fingers softly pressed into the side of his neck.

She went through the usual motions of fixing his back, and the instant feel of her breasts against his back relaxed him into ultimate comfort. His eyes closed as he mentally tried to memorize every curve of her body; focusing only on feeling in the parts of his body where she was pressed flush against him.

His concentration was so thick, that he jumped and yelped in surprise when she thrust her knuckles into his back, and his spine cracked. The pain he had felt earlier disappeared entirely, and a smile brushed across his lips in thanks. "Bones, you're amazing."

"Thank you," she returned; her small smirk of a smile containing the power to break hearts. "You should probably jump in the shower. Taking a hot bath will help relax your muscles, and you'll feel better for our safari."

"How long is this thing anyway?"

"Around four hours."

"Yup, give me fifteen minutes."

~*~*B+B*~*~

Under the blistering sun, Brennan couldn't keep the smile from reaching her lips as Booth's fingers were circled around her wrist; his large hand passing up and down her arm for the third time in the past twenty minutes as he spread a thick white lotion along her skin.

"Booth…even I doubt that I'll burn to the point where you need to apply sunscreen three times."

"Bones," he argued, shaking his head fiercely as he spread an amount across her cheeks. "You're practically white as snow, and we're going to be in the sun for hours. You need to put a crap ton of sunscreen on now, and then reapply every hour."

"Every hour?"

"I'm being generous."

Growling, she pushed his hands away and moved her fingers to the remains of the lotion that hadn't been spread into her skin; the looks being received from some of the people heading towards their convoy causing color to blossom under her cheeks. "I can do it myself. Thank you."

"No you can't," he stated; brushing his fingers along the underside of her chin. "Because if I let you do it, you'll half ass it and you'll get burned. I prefer my Bones cancer free."

"Then maybe you should stop smoking cigars," Brennan shot back; smearing a clump of sunscreen down her cheek before she wiped the rest down his nose. "I prefer my Booth the same way."

"I only smoke casually," Booth said with a smirk, shaking his head softly as he brushed away the smear of white on his skin. "I'm not a chain smoker, so therefore lung cancer isn't in my near future."

"You can't tell what'll happen in the future," she said firmly, standing from her sitting position on the back of the jeep to meet him head on.

"And neither can you, but I can tell you that this pretty face shouldn't be littered with wrinkles," he finished; stealing the conversation with two soft pats to each side of her face before he walked around the caravan and climbed into the large vehicle. He moved to the back two seats and turned towards his partner, flustered and gaping from his words. "Keep your mouth open any longer Bones and you'll be catching flies."

A glare that could have reversed global warming was shot his way, and he answered with a soft smirk. He tilted his head towards the doors and silently asked her to come onto the truck; reaching his hand out to her when she complied and moved back towards him. Against herself she let their hands lock and softly fell into the seat beside him; the solid wall of muscle that was truly and utterly Booth, stopping her from falling back further.

During her descent his arm had wrapped around her; the cavity of his side perfect for her body; the extra heat against her small frame going completely unnoticed as she looked up into his deep brown eyes, and shared a soft smile with him. His tanned skin shined with the sun; capturing the precious light in his pores. In front of them a man started speaking, but she couldn't hear; her eyes remaining completely focused on the tender face of the strongest, most gentle man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

The car lurched forward and the tires kicked up dust around them; her breath stopping completely when he looked at her and waved his hand through the air. Airborne dirt parted at his ministration and the caring smile he shot her brought her from her reverie. "You alright there, Bones?"

She remembered to breathe. "Yeah."

~*~*B+B*~*~

Hours felt like minutes as she watched him marvel at the wild animals that he came within feet of. From lions, to giant crocodiles, to a camouflaged python sunning in low level water, the smile of amazement never left his face. Throughout their journey she focused more on him, than the lioness that stalked towards their caravan, and uncharacteristically brushed against the side of the truck like a house cat.

"Bones," he said for the millionth time during their trip. "Isn't this amazing?"

"Yeah." It was a croak. He looked worried. The man spoke. The car stopped. Booth visibly tensed.

"Bones, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Booth," she argued; trying her best to make her voice firm, but failing terribly. The people sitting in the front of the caravan stood, and made their way from the truck; thanking the man heavily for the experience before their feet hit dirt. Booth stood, and she moved to mimic him but the world heaved in front of her and she reached out to tightly grasp Booth's arm.

He repeated his earlier question and moved his hand to her forearm; gasping softly before moving his hand to touch the side of her face. "Bones, you're burning up. We need to get you out of the sun."

"Booth, I'm perfectly fine," she growled; closing her eyes tightly, before flashing them open in an attempt to stop the world from spinning before her eyes. She tried to move one foot forward but stumbled; her hand pressing against the side of her head to try and steady herself.

"Bones, did you drink anything at all when we were out there?" Booth demanded; holding her shoulders and slowly moving her towards the front of the truck.

"I…I don't remember."

"You're overheated."

"I'm fine."

"You're not," he finalized; nodding his hand to the man who was looking at them with concern. A dark hand extended a bottle of water in his direction, and Booth muttered his thanks; wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her from the elevated perch to the ground. "Drink this."

Her hand drunkenly reached for the bottle; screwing off the cap and drinking back the whole twenty ounces in seconds. She shivered and shook her head; coughing softly as she ran her hands over her face and whimpered out her words. "Booth, I'm cold."

"I need to get you back to our room," he whispered; turning his back to her and extending his hands back to her. "Get on my back."

"What?"

"Don't argue Bones. Just do it."

Mumbling something incoherent; she settled her hands on his shoulders and weakly jumped into his arms. Her hands fell forward and laced against his chest; her legs wrapping around his waist as her head settled against his shoulder. He whispered to her as he trekked up the trails; telling her to hold on, and constantly telling her that they were almost there, until he finally bust through their door and moved her to rest in the middle of their bed.

He rushed into the bathroom and whirled their bathtub to life; filling it with freezing cold water, before he turned on the heat and let the water warm slightly. Moving back into the bedroom, he tore away the blankets that she had wrapped around herself and sat her up; touching her face one more time before he pulled off her tennis shoes and brought her into his arms.

"Booth," she whined; falling further into the warmth he provided. "I'm cold. What are you doing?"

"You aren't cold Bones," he stated; pulling her back into the bathroom. "You're burning up. You need to get cooled down."

"No," she cried weakly; struggling against his arms until he let his fingers settle in her hair, and he pressed a soft kiss against her temple.

"Temperance, just trust me," he whispered; kicking his own sandals off and stepping back, fully clothed, into the chilled water sitting in the porcelain tub. His hands tugged her forward, and she hissed when she stepped after him.

"Booth it's too cold."

"Come here," his voice a coo as he sat down and softly pulled her down with him. She straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around him; pressing herself flush to him to try and escape the cold that was soaking her clothes. She rested her face in the curve of his neck and shivered against his body; whimpering when he wrapped his arms around her and passed a cold, wet hand across the back of her neck.

"Ssh," he whispered; tenderly kissing the side of her neck, and tightening his arms around her when she shivered. "It's alright. Just ride it out."

Minutes passed and she eased away; the heat returning to her skin and offering mercy against the cold water sloshing around their joined bodies. As she tried to sit back on her heels; his arms didn't relent, and she remained pressed against him; her breath leaving her body completely as she glanced between his eyes and the lips that were parted oh so deliciously.

In a single second, a collection of things happen around the world. A child cries, a gunshot is fired, someone dies. People fight, punches are thrown, bets are made, a single sip of alcohol drives a man to insanity and cars collide. A baby is born, tears fall, smiles shine, anger flares and the Earth inches further in its circular cycle. But in this Tanzanian heat, a couple made a silent decision in the depths of chilly bath water, and heat rushed back into their bodies the instant their lips brushed in a feather light caress.


End file.
